Procrastination and Its Relationship with Emotional Reactivity and Impulsivity

Abstract

The existing research is partly a follow up of previous researches exploring procrastination phenomenon and its various underlying causes. The purpose of the present research was to explore relationship of two personality variables namely emotional reactivity and impulsivity with different forms of procrastination i.e. decisional, behavioral and its overall trait form. It was hypothesized that as procrastination is termed as quintessentially a self-regulatory failure, hence vulnerability to emotional reactivity and impulsivity, will lead to self- dys-regulation, manifested in the form of dysfunctional procrastination. Thus a significant relationship will exist between the personality variables and different forms of procrastination. It was also hypothesized that as trait procrastination is a manifestation of an underlying dysfunctional personality trait, hence its relationship will be much more significant with high level of impulsivity and emotional reactivity compared to non-trait procrastinators. The findings of the present study revealed, that high level of impulsivity compared to emotional reactivity was more significantly pervasive among trait procrastinators compared to non-trait procrastinators. Also, emotional reactivity had a significant relationship with decisional procrastination and not behavioral, while impulsivity was significantly related to all forms of procrastination. Hence the results indicate that impulsivity compared to emotional reactivity is a much higher predictor of procrastination. The existing study will help in viewing procrastination as not a mere problem with time management or lack of will power, but instead a dynamic self regulatory process, vulnerable to two types of personality risk factors i.e. emotional reactivity and impulsivity.